Today marks the 7th anniversary of the tragic day in American history. It was a day that America learned that it was not invincible, and an attack on American soil was entirely plausible. There are many different philosophies on why it happened and how it could have been prevented, but one thing that should be agreed upon is how this day represents grief and remembrance and should not be used for political means.
In his commentary last night on Countdown, Keith Olbermann states his view on the topic:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26614824
Watching the clip, I can understand the anger and outrage he feels with the way the Republican Party under George W. Bush and now under the McCain campaign as well, has marginalized this event and abused it as a political tool of fear mongering. His statement of:
I (John McCain) will rather win an election, than catch Bin Laden.
is very telling. I’m just glad somebody in the news media is speaking out on this subject.
Religion vs Race
Tags: barack obama, george bush, presidential election, racism, religion, smear ads
Sometimes I wonder if we are living in the 21st Century or if we are still stuck in the early 1900s where racial bigotry was still running rampant. What’s the motivation behind this rant, you ask? It’s the ongoing rhetoric regarding democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, and his religious alignment. Barack Obama is a practicing Christian and has been sworn into the Senate with a Bible. However, for whatever reason, many of the American people regardless of the party alignment (Republican, Democrat or Independent) continue to accuse Obama of being Muslim.
Now for the record, I have nothing against Islam as a religion and myself have several Muslim friends and acquaintances. However, I do understand politics and the American people’s fear of having a Muslim Commander-and-Chief, since the sworn enemies of America are Islamic extremists. The America of today, will not elect a Muslim president - that is the reality. However what I do not understand is the ignorance of some of the American people, to falsely accuse Barack Obama of being a Muslim, when he is clearly not. This is not something that is based on opinion, it is fact. The answer is boolean: true or false, night or day, black or white. And perhaps at the core, that is the issue right there: black or white.
In this day and age, it is not kosher to say you won’t vote for a black president, because that will clearly be racist. We are living in the 21st century after all, and the American society is beyond that. No, no instead they say what is politically correct which is, “I can’t vote for Barack Obama because he is Muslim.” When what they really mean is, “I can’t vote for Barack Obama because he is black.” Sound outrageous? Perhaps. But in this day and age of political correctness and innuendos, is it really that outrageous to say something acceptable to hide what your true feelings are? It doesn’t take a genius to do that as Bush has mastered that art form over the past 8 years he’s been in the oval office.
The whole subject of judging a person by the colour of their skin is so ignorant, yet it will be ignorant to pretend that it does not exist. Just like it is ignorant to claim Obama is Muslim and to justify not choosing to vote for him based on that lie. Perhaps that’s how George W. Bush was elected, and look where that got the American people. Eight disastrous years that brought on a phony war and over 4000 Americans killed, a failed foreign policy and alienated allies, an economic crisis of a size that hasn’t been seen since the Great Depression, a housing crisis that is leaving millions of Americans homeless, an exploding annual deficit that will peak to over 500 billion by the end of the year and a national debt that has nearly doubled from 5.7 trillion to over 10 trillion during Bush’s term.
The freedom to vote and choose is a privilege not a right. I accept the fact that people will have differing opinions and those opinions may not align with my own. However, to form an opinion based on a well known facade, and to hide behind that facade because you are too cowardly to admit your true feelings … then that’s just what it is: cowardice. May God bless America and keep it from being the land of the free and cowardly. Amen.